Pontius Pilate: Pontius Pilate governed Judea ten years under the emperor Tiberius, from his 13th to his 23rd year ad 26 to 36; but, having exercised great cruelties against the Samaritans, they complained to Vitellius, governor of Syria, who sent Marcellus, one of his friends, to superintend Judea, and ordered Pilate to Rome, to give an account of his conduct to Tiberius. The emperor was dead before he arrived; but it is an ancient tradition, that he was banished to Vienne in Dauphiny, where he was reduced to such extremity that he killed himself with his own sword two years after.

because: The Jews considered it was strictly forbidden by the Divine law to bring any filthy or iniquitous gain into the temple. For this reason they now refused to allow this money to be placed in the chest in the temple, amongst the former contributions for its repairs. In this, they were right enough, but by the very act of refusing this money, they proved themselves to be gross perverters of the spirit of God's requirements. they saw not that it was much less lawful for them, who had hired Judas to this sordid action, to be employed in the service of the temple. Those that "bear the vessels of the Lord," ought to be holy. Thus our Lord's words, "Ye blind guides! ye strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

Jeremy: The words here quoted are not found in Jeremiah, but in Zechariah; and a variety of conjectures have been formed, in order to reconcile this discrepancy. The most probable opinion seems to be, that the name of the prophet was originally omitted by the Evangelist, and that the name of Jeremiah was added by some subsequent copyist. It is omitted in two manuscripts of the twelfth century, in the Syriac, later Persic, two of the Itala, and in some other Latin copies; and what renders it highly probable that the original reading was δια [Strong's G1223], του [Strong's G5120], προφητον, by the prophet, is, that Matthew frequently omits the name of the prophet in his quotations. See note on Mat 1:22; Mat 2:5, Mat 2:15; Mat 13:35; Mat 21:4. This omission is approved of by Bengel, Dr. A. Clarke, and Horne.

a scarlet robe: Mark calls it a purple robe; but by πορφυρα [Strong's G4209] is denoted whatever is of a dazzling red; and the words κοκκινον [Strong's G2847], scarlet, and πορφυρα [Strong's G4209], purple, are not infrequently interchanged.

vinegar: Mark says wine mingled with myrrh; but as the sour wine used by the Roman soldiers and common people was termed οινος [Strong's G3631] wine, and οξος [Strong's G3690] vinegar, vin aigre (French), is sour wine; and as chole [Strong's G5521] gall, is applied to bitters of any kind, it is not difficult to reconcile the two accounts.

darkness: That this general darkness was wholly preternatural is evident from this, that it happened at the passover, which was celebrated only at the full moon, a time in which it was impossible for the sun to be eclipsed, natural eclipses happening only at the time of the new moon. (See Introduction to the Comprehensive Bible, p. 59.) Isa 50:3; Amo 8:9; Rev 8:12, Rev 9:2